Monday, May 10, 1999
$6M radio system is in works
County plan leaves holes
BY DAN KLEPAL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton County is about to buy a small slice of the digital communications world despite voters' rebuff of Issue 3 last week.
Issue 3 proposed a four-year tax that would have raised $63.7 million for a new countywide emergency communication system. The tax was defeated by about 3,000 votes — 52 percent to 48 percent — on May 4.
But county commissioners are expected to approve spending $6 million this week to secure 20 digital frequencies and establish a limited version of the system for a few of its fire and ambulance agencies.
Bill Hinkle, director of the Hamilton County Communications Center, said the limited version is a “Band-Aid” that will not solve the county's emergency communication woes.
Emergency management personnel have complained for years about the current system, which is 40 years old. They say it does not penetrate buildings, easily becomes overloaded and does not allow for cross-communication between agencies.
“The $6 million will allow us to build part of the system to support fire and (ambulance),” Mr. Hinkle said. “But only part of our critical needs will be addressed.”
Three emergency communication user groups will not benefit from the county's upgrade: Cincinnati and Norwood, along with the so-called Valley Group, made up of Silverton, St. Bernard, Golf Manor, Amberley Village, Reading, Indian Hill, Elmwood, Deer Park and Wyoming.
The rest of the municipalities with fire and ambulance service in Hamilton County will be on the digital system, which should be installed by summer's end.
Police agencies, however, will not be.
“Those municipalities under the county will be on an 800 megahertz system, but we won't be able to talk with anyone outside of our group,” Mr. Hinkle said. “And we still will not have communication between fire and police.”
No portable radios will be purchased for the new system — only radios mounted inside fire trucks and ambulances.
And, according to Mr. Hinkle, there will not be blanket radio coverage, so “dead spots” — outdoor areas where radio transmissions cannot be heard — will continue to be a problem.
Still, Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said it's an important investment.
And, Mr. Bedinghaus said, it may be possible for those communities left out of the digital age to join in later.
“It's important for us to spend this money to secure the frequencies,” Mr. Bedinghaus said.
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